My Friend, the Pirate
by wolfgazer325
Summary: A quiet little port town has a change of pace when a certain pirate captain decides to stop by & encounters an adventerous little native. Eggs, insults, lessons, & humor ensue! One shot1st POV


Disclaimer: I, sadly, do not own Jack…but I get to play with him when ever my muse gets restless! Besides, I do own the little girl and the disgruntled men. They are fun too.

A/N: Major thank you to my friend and pack-mate Ahiflame who betaed for me! She shares a much warped and twisted little hobby with me and we have too much fun spurring each other on. Some one should stop us…really…you should. But I think she would try to keelhaul anyone who laid a hand on mine or her computers hehe, so perhaps you shouldn't.

To my other pack-mate who is doing her best to keep sane in an insane world, hope this makes you smile.

My Friend, the Pirate

Mum said to stay away from them, these men that came from the sea. Why so, mum?

'Some be pirates darling, some be dangerous and mean to young girls who don' do as they're told. Some are just scoundrels that have no business being 'round here, but are anyway. No need to trouble your young mind over such things.' She said to me. I cared not, thought I. So when her back was turned and my chores seemed too undesirable to accomplish, I set out to discover the world…limited of course to that of the small town that we occupied. It was big enough for me at the fresh age of eight years.

The docks were my favorite place to spend the days. So much was going on, ships and boats alike rocking slowly in the shallow waters. I sometimes even got a twopence for helping carrying buckets of fish for the fishermen to their place of work. Sailors and fishermen alike mingled around the docks working or socializing.

I could watch them move barrels and crates all day, watching as men climbed in the riggings of their ships repairing and preparing. Watching the various sea vessels entering and exiting, their sails capturing the untamable wind and harnessing it to their whim.

Sometimes I'd sit on the end of an empty dock and fish myself to bring something home for mum to cook. She would be mad that I had abandoned my chores to do what she called foolishness, but it always subsided when she saw the fish. She'd mumble words she thought I couldn't hear, but didn't understand anyway.

This particular day she had made it more than abundantly clear she wanted me to stay away from the docks. I thought myself very clever and assured her I would. She doubled my chores that day in hopes of me thinking I would want to avoid a whooping rather than venture out to the docks in exploration. My curiosity was far more persistent in its nagging than my mum's voice telling me to stay away. What could be so different this day that she would try even harder to get me to stay put?

When I made my way over the small hill and the docks filling the small port came into view, I stopped in awe. A ship of such grand size I'd never seen before sat mightily within the small bay overshadowing all else. Many scurried across its deck like little ants. Men dotted the rigging, climbing, and mending sails.

There had been a great storm the night before and the ship must have sought shelter in the small bay. Some minimal damage was evident from where I stood. What caught my attention other than the great size were the sails themselves. The traditional white coloring had been discarded for the overwhelming black. It gave the ship an ominous look and I wondered who could captain such a vessel. It must have been the pirates mum had told me about.

I had never been sure of any person I had seen come from ships was a pirate or not. My mum never told me any defining features of them, if I'd seen any pirates before they had looked like most every other sailor or privateer I'd ever saw. This must surely have meant pirates were abroad and I would not miss seeing them. Who knew if I'd ever see any again? Mum had told me pirates were a dangerous group, hunting, pillaging, sacking, killing, and other terrible things that my 'young mind' didn't need to hear. I didn't see anyone running for their lives so these pirates could not have been so horrible.

I walked down the path that cut through the small town and led straight to the docks that I walked most every day. Business seemed to be moving as it usually did, but there was uneasiness in the air. People weren't laughing and talking as they normally did. The merchants seemed timid about their customers and whispering was fervently filling the air. Some of the women that were shopping were huddled in groups talking and glancing around as if in deep gossip. A few shot worried glances my way as I headed straight towards the docks, but they said nothing to me.

A sudden gasp went up and I turned my head to see a woman standing at Mr. Toland's small shop starring fearfully at a man walking up the path towards us. She shook her head and quickly made her away in the opposite direction that he was going. I looked back at the man and studied him as he walked, or more so, swaggered like a drunken man, towards me. He was whistling a tune and flashes of gold could be seen in his mouth when he opened it to take a deep breath and continue his whistles. He was dressed as many sailors I'd seen before, but it seemed different with him.

His fingers glinted with many different rings and his eyes glimmered with merriment, excitement, and what I would later come to know as a bit of madness. His hair had different things tied into it. It looked like he hadn't done anything to his hair but add more and more things. The top of his head was covered by a tri-cornered hat.

I unabashedly examined the man as he went up to a shaded table stand and began eyeing the various objects that were laid out for purchase. The vender didn't look pleased to see the man there, but refrained from sending away the possible customer. The man stopped whistling his tune and asked the vender a question about a dagger. The vender reluctantly answered and picked up the dagger to show various qualities it possessed to further the man's interest in the piece. The man nodded and played with his short beard.

He looked young and uncaring of the obvious animosity that filled the air around us. Some people quickly left to get away from the man's presence, or to go tell someone else of the unique incidence. The man nodded as the vender talked more before naming a price. The man's eyes widened a bit and he shook his head as he wagged his finger. I didn't care if he saw me or what anyone would think or say. I wanted to be closer to the man, hear his voice, observe him.

"Sir, it's a reasonable price for such a piece. Made in France and inlaid with gold…" The vender seemed almost reluctant to haggle the price, especially with the man before him. The man grinned and his whole face lit up. Whether it was a threat or just sheer enjoyment, I couldn't tell. The vender seemed to shudder at the sight. I found it rather humorous.

"I've _been _t' France, mate. I've seen better craftsmanship in wooden swords tha' children play with," the man said. I had to stop myself from giggling at how he spoke. Not only did he walk like a drunken man, but he talked like one as well. He slurred some of his words together, but it seemed he was completely aware of what he was doing and what he was saying. If either the vender or the man noticed me, neither showed it.

"I-I…made it myself…when I was there." The vender said. He took a step back as the strange looking man leaned forward. If his intention was intimidation, he was going far and beyond reaching his goal.

" 's'not somethin' I'd go around admittin' mate. I'll not pay more than a crown and a shilling."

"But sir-"

"Half crown and shilling it is man! Ye drive a 'ard bargain, ye do."

"Aye…" The vender sighed in defeat and I couldn't help but smile at how the man had handled himself. As the man gathered up the dagger and tried to find some paper to wrap it in. I watched as the vender turned his back and the stranger quickly, almost in a blur, grabbed a gem that had been on the table. I gasped in surprise at what had just happened, but couldn't make my self say something. The vender had wrapped the dagger and handed it to the stranger before he had handed over the money. The vender took the coins and tested the weight in his knowing hands.

"Pleasure mate!" The man grinned, gold teeth glittering. The vender just nodded and said nothing else. I stood in awe, unable to move or say anything as the stranger began whistling again and walked down the path. He looked down at me and winked. He had known…he knew I had been watching, he knew I hadn't said anything. I knew I shouldn't be near him or speak to him, but my body wasn't moving.

He slowed as he walked up to me and grinned that grin again. He leaned forward some and held out his hand as he continued to walk. I found myself holding my hand up to him as he passed and when he did he dropped something in it.

"Thanks fer not say anythin', darlin'." He said as he walked by. He continued walking and began whistling his tune again. I looked down at the palm of my hand and saw three gold pieces!! I couldn't breathe, let alone say anything. I spun around and watched his retreating form.

He stopped by another stand, examining more things as he eyed two women who stood across the path glaring at him. I couldn't understand why they seemed to hate him so. I looked down in the palm of my hand again before looking back up at him. He was now looking at me out of the corner of his eye, and his smile brightened.

I gripped the pieces in my hand and stood in the middle of the street gawking at the strange, generous man. He began walking again and I found my feet beginning to move to keep up with him. This was absurd…he couldn't be a pirate if a pirate was what I had been told about all my life.

As he continued on his way, he stopped and looked at the different things in the market and I would stop every time he did. I had little control over what I did; I just simply couldn't stop watching him. So little, in fact, that I wasn't aware of the man in front of me until I walked right into him. Before I knew it I was on the ground, next to an over turned crate with dozens of eggs and some baskets scattered across the ground, some broken…and on me.

"What have you done, you little wench! My eggs!" The burly man glared down at me, his pudgy face red with anger. I tried to say something, apologizing was a good idea, but I couldn't speak.

So instead of speaking I quickly starting picking up the eggs that had been lucky enough to survive and placed them in the small baskets they had been contained in while in the crate.

"Get away from those! I'll whip you right and good! Where are your parents?" He reached down and roughly pulled me up by my arm. I must have been like a rag doll to him because one moment later I was lifted off the ground and brought face to face with the man.

"'m sorry, sir!" I cried. My arm was hurting terribly, but I suddenly realized that both my hands were empty. I gasped and looked down frantically searching for the prize I had only minutes ago received. The three coins sat close together next to a couple of the shattered eggs. My change of attention was noticed by my captor and his gaze fell to the ground. He suddenly released my arm and I fell back to the ground, landing hard on my back with a yelp.

"Ha, ha. This will take care of the damage you have caused."

He reached down to grab the gold coins, but I threw myself on top of them.

"Please, I just got them!" I pleaded. I looked up and his face seemed even more enraged. His arm was raised, ready to strike and toss me aside so I covered my head with my hands awaiting the blow. It never came.

I suddenly felt myself being lifted up again, only by gentler arms. I looked up and was face to face with the man who had given me the money. His face was serious, but his eyes still held their merriment. Was he mad at me too?

"Now lass, what 'ave I told you 'bout talkin' t' strange, ugly men. No good comes o' it."

"I-I…"

"One day yer goin' t' get into a lot o' trouble and what will we do then?"

"What did you just say!" The egg man exclaimed.

"'old on, mate, I'm speakin' t' the girl." The man held up a finger to the other. He winked at me, but acted as if he was still awaiting an answer from me.

"I'm…sorry," I said after a moment.

"Who are you calling strange and _ugly_?" The other man roared. The nice man ignored him.

"Good lass, ye should be." He nodded as sternly as he could manage, and placed me gently back upon my feet.

"Well…I always did think the French 'ad terrible bone structure, the men anyway." He smiled at the egg man whose face only got redder and seemed to be trembling.

"I'M NOT FRENCH!"

The nice man shrugged and waved his hand absently.

"Y' 'ave no excuse then. At least if ye were, you'd 'ave something t' blame for that nose of yers."

I felt something tap my foot and looked down to see his boot pointing in the general direction of the abandoned coins. His eyes never left the furious man before us.

"I'll skin you and feed you to the dogs, you son of a wh-"

He silently covered my ears with his hands and I watched as the egg man's mouth moved, only hearing muffled sounds. When his mouth stopped, the hands were removed before giving a slight push towards the coins.

"Now man, there is a lit'l lass present. Those words aren't appropriate."

I slowly moved my foot over the coins and pulled them closer to me. I carefully watched the two men.

"She broke my eggs and now you insult me!"

The nice man shifted his direction, moving around the egg man as if sizing him up. I watched curiously before realizing the egg man's focus was no longer on me, but the pirate. They both spoke, but I wasn't listening. It was amazing. I could now bend down and pick up the coins with out the angry man seeing me.

I slowly bent down, making sure to watch the two, and gathered the coins in my hand. I stood back up and slipped them silently into my pocket. The nice pirate altered his movement back towards me. A moment later he was beside me as he talked, sticking his finger into the bigger man's chest.

"-grate cheese on tha' thing stickin' from yer face."

A giggle erupted from me. I felt unafraid next to the pirate and looked up at his unwavering smile. It was contagious. The egg man shook with anger before trying to sputter words.

"You're-you're nothing but a lousy, dirty, low-life pirate so messed up you got a little brat following you around who does God-knows-what! Can't even walk straight or talk like a normal person!" The egg man was starring the pirate down. I looked up at him. His smile had faded, but he stayed silent. The other got braver.

"Tell me, do you keep her as a pet or somethin' on your ship? Does she catch rats for you? Waitin' till she gets older before you put her to real use? Bet you'll give her lots of practice so you'll make some good money. You think you're special or something? Any different from all the other dogs of the sea? Wait till the navy gets a hold of that ship and sinks her…takes that little wench of yours away."

I wasn't sure what all of that meant, but I knew none of it had been good as I looked up at the proclaimed pirate's face. His eyes had narrowed and his eyes bored into the other man's.

"Now lass, remember when I told you 'bout those unfortunate men that 'ave no brains?" A smirk slide across his mouth. "Poor blighter can't even speak decently…no need t' get angry at 'em. Not their fault, they do wha's right by them."

"Can we go now, please?" I asked. The pirate looked down at me warmly as if he'd done it thousands of times before. The other's gaze was not so pleasant.

"Sure luv, 'ave plenty o' things t' do. Le's go! Oh and…try t' be more careful when walkin' round, man. Coulda hurt the lit'l lass and tha' jus' wouldn't 'ave turned out good fer ye. Ta!" He grinned and took my hand before starting to walk away.

"Ta!" I repeated and waved before skipping along side the pirate.

"What about my eggs!" The man yelled after us, still seemingly stunned by the encounter.

"Ye already got the beginnings fer scrambled eggs. Might as well keep goin'. I 'ear the French make great eggs!" The pirate called back using grand hand gestures that had me giggling even more.

"I'M NOT FRENCH!"

The pirate no longer paid attention, but looked down at me as we walked at a steady pace.

"W'as yer name luv?"

"Willow sir…may I ask yours?" He laughed and nodded.

"Ye might of 'eard o' me. 'm Jack Sparrow…Captain Jack Sparrow t' mos', but yer but a lit'l lass, so you don' 'ave t'."

"You're a captain! I've not heard your name Mr. Sparrow, but my mum tells me about pirates and sailors. You're a pirate, right? She says pirates are bad, but you're not bad."

He laughed again. "Aye, I am a captain. The greatest in all the world!" He gestured by waving his hand in front of him. "'m also a pirate…" He said much quieter, bending down some. "But a good one."

"Pirates can be good?"

"Aye, they can. Know many o' them me self!"

"Do you find treasure?"

"Some times, but not all treasure is what ye would think it."

"Gold, silver, diamonds?"

"Tha's not all, but ye'll find tha' out as ye grow."

"Do you go lots of places? Sword fight, shoot cannons, haul away ladies and steal their virtue?"

His eyebrow rose as he looked down at me.

"Where'd ye 'ear all that?"

"My mum, she says they take ladies and steal their virtues. I don't know what that is, but mum always says that Ms. Cornell's virtue was as slippery as a wet deck and that she lost it when she'd grown to be a young lady. Must be something easy to lose or get stolen, though I don't know where mine is. I think maybe mum hid it from me."

Jack, the pirate, began laughing and didn't stop for a few moments. "I've not taken any ladies' virtues, lass. Only took what I've been given and nothin' more, from the ladies at least."

"You should tell my mum that. I don't think she'd believe me."

"Yer mum sounds like an interesting woman, but she is right in some ways. Jus' as some pirates are not all bad, some are not good 't all. Ye should be careful 'round all people ye don' know."

"My da says that too."

"Smart man," Jack nodded. "Well luv, it's been interesting, but I 'ave a ship t' tend to and a bunch of scurvy pirates t' look after." He stopped and looked down at me.

"Can I go watch, please?" I tried to give my best convincing smile. He returned it with a warm, soft smile.

"Don' think that would be wise. Anamaria already thinks me daft, and I've 'eard 'nough 'bout bad luck from Gibbs that I'm 'bout ready t' gag on all the superstitions." I couldn't hide the disappointment I felt. "_But_…" he grinned and tapped my head with a finger, "if I were t' take a lit'l lass, it'd be you."

"Thank you Mr. Sparrow."

"Welcome luv, now, why don' ye go on home and tell yer mum 'bout what happened. 'm sure that story will blow 'er stockings off." He chuckled as he released my hand and patted my head.

"She wouldn't believe me…" He paused for a moment, as if to think about something, before putting his hand in his pocket. "Ye keep those coins…and then give 'er this." He pulled out the gem he had taken earlier and took up my hand before placing the stone in my palm. I looked up at him, my mouth agape.

"Thank you!" I couldn't help but throw my arms around him to hug the pirate. He seemed a bit stunned by the gesture, but patted my head again, and pulled back.

"Take care now Willow. Oh, I'd stay away from the egg man…'e probably won' be happy fer a while." He said, strolling down the road, grinning a smile that glittered in the sun.

"Will you be back Mr. Sparrow?" I called after him.

"Luv, I'm Captain Jack Sparrow! 'm unpredictable as the sea, but I wouldn' be surprised if me sails brought me back some day. Jus' keep an eye on that horizon, and if'n ye ever get the chance, go chase 'er!"

"Bye Mr. Sparrow! Thank you!" He waved his hand high and started to sing a song about pirate's life and bad eggs. I laughed at the thought of eggs and all that had happened within the small span of time I had known Jack Sparrow. I watched his retreating form for as long as I could until the desire to show my mum what I had gotten took over. Whether she would believe my story or not, I didn't know, but I did know that I would never forget the day I met my friend, the pirate.

A/N2: There's a couple of people I want you ta check out here if you haven't yet.

Ahiflame has some great stuff out there. Her newest is a Sequel to _The Darkness of Confusion_ called _Black Treasure, Divine Stone_, which is off to a great start. TDoC has gotten an award and the story is great. Lots of Jack angst, hanging, mysterious evil voices, and much more! There is plenty more to check out too, so have it!

I've mentioned her before, but I could never mention her enough, Estelwolfe. She has some new stuff in the works. They are _Protector of Life_ and _My Brother's Keeper_ which is the fourth in a series of fantastic stories. She also posts one shots every now and then that are good for quick reads. So do your self a favor and go read.

You can find these authors and some of the best on a group site called The Black Pearl Scrolls. Hope to see you there! The link is posted on my bio thing cause ff.net is evil and eats links.


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